This Time Around
by loserbat
Summary: No summary because I can't come up with one that does the story justice. This is just the same story, but slightly fixed up. Read it if you haven't before, and review. Please.
1. Part 1

Author's Note: There are no new chapters. I just divided it into its proper chapters and fixed up some wording and stuff. They first 3 or 4 may seem short, and that's cause they are. Just please read it, if you feel like reading it again. If you've never read it before, READ IT! Thanks. See ya. Oh and REVIEW. That's what the little button at the bottom of the screen is for. Pretty pop up window, huh. Use it. Thanks. Now I'll really leave.

Disclaimer: So Weird and its characters belong to Disney, not to me. I own nothing except the plot.

**This Time Around ** Teaser 

{Fi's voice over} 

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to be the oldest sibling? Think about how hard it would be to worry not only about yourself, but also about your younger sibling. How stressful it would be to protect them all the time? Now think about this: What if you failed your duty? What do you do when you can't protect your sibling? How would that feel? Now picture having to protect not only your own brother/sister, but also your really close friends and stuff {image of Carey}. How would it feel if something happened to them? What would it feel like to fail more than once? 

{End of teaser} 

****

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**Part 1 **

"FI!!!", Clu shouted as he ran into the bus's living room, where Fi and Carey were. She looked up from her laptop when she heard Clu and saw him running up to her. Carey also looked up from his guitar, distracted by his brother's voice. 

"What's up Clu?" Fi asked, amused. 

"I was talking to this kid and he said there's this old place where weird stuff happens, like people disappearing and stuff" he answered calming down a bit, "we've gotta check it out!" 

"Great! Let me tell Jack and Annie and we'll go!" Fi replied, already excited about finding something weird in this boring little town. 

"Tell us what?" Jack said, as he got on the bus, his arm around Annie's waist. 

"There's this really weird place around here and we're gonna go check it out" Clu and Fi responded. 

"Awesome!" Annie said, excited, "Let's go!" 

"Wait a sec, we're not going anywhere!" Jack said, annoyed, "I'm sick of all this weird stuff! There is nothing weird in this stupid little town!" 

"Fine. Stay. Be that way. We're going anyway, with or without you" a determined Fi said. "Carey, you coming?" 

"Huh?" Carey said dreamily as he came back to reality at the sound of Fi's voice. "Sorry, I spaced out for a sec." 

"So what else is new?" Fi teased, before repeating her question. 

"Yeah, I'll go with you. It sounds sort of interesting." He put his guitar down and stood up, still not fully aware of what was happening. He'd had a weird feeling as if something was going to happen. He shook it off thinking it was just his imagination or lack of sleep or something. 

"Ok, let's go then Carey." Fi was a bit worried about Carey. He'd been acting strange for some time, spacing out more than usual. He was also a lot quieter. And sometimes, she'd catch him looking at her as if he felt something for her. _*But there was no way that was possible. Right?* _Fi dismissed the thought and headed out the door, followed by the others. 

"Hey wait up! I'll go along with your stupid idea. I'll go with you!" Jack yelled, running to catch up with them. 

They walked a short way until they got to this really old, run down building. It was missing half the second floor, and what was left of the structure didn't look like it would hold up much longer. 

"Let's go in!" Clu said. 

"Are you sure we should? It looks like it'll fall on us or something." Carey asked, worried about how safe the building actually was. He'd been getting the urge to protect all the others for a long time. It had been getting stronger ever since Clu and Fi came back on tour, and things had gotten even weirder and more dangerous. He didn't want any of the younger kids to get hurt, especially Clu and Fi. He didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to those two. Like what had happened to Clark… 

Fi noticed Carey wasn't exactly *there*. She put her hand on his shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. "Carey, are you ok?" He nodded. But she still wasn't convinced. There was something weird going on with him and it had nothing to do with that building. 

"Come on let's go in!" Annie whined, unaware of what was going on with Carey and Fi. " I hear something in there!" 

With that they walked in, not sure what they'd find inside. 


	2. Part 2

**Chapter 2 **

"Wow this place looks even worse on the inside" Fi said, looking around. "It's sorta spooky actually". Fi moved closer to Carey, who put his arm around her as if to protect her from anything that might be there. Fi smiled briefly, feeling safer with him there. 

"Yeah, it is pretty spooky" Annie said, Jack's arm around her. "But it's so cool!" 

"Guys, we should leave. This thing looks like it's gonna fall apart. With us inside. It's pretty dangerous." Jack said. "Plus, it's getting dark. And cold." 

"No way dude. I wanna check this place out", Clu said. Fi and Annie nodded in agreement. 

"Spooky or not, I wanna find out what's so weird about this place." Fi added, shivering a bit from the cold. Carey took off his jacket and put it on her, to keep her warm. Again, Fi smiled at the gesture. This time Carey returned the smile. 

"Actually guys, I sorta agree with Jack. I've got a bad feeling about this place. Maybe we should leave." As soon as Carey finished speaking, the door slammed shut. "Or not." 

"Great, we're stuck in this wreck. We should have left when we could but no, you all had to stay and check this out. Thanks a lot!" Jack said angrily, and received glares from everybody. 

"Drop it Jack! Stop complaining and analyzing everything logically! Not everything has a rational explanation so just SHUT UP for a while!" Clu, Fi, and Annie said in unison, extremely annoyed by Jack's attitude. 

Jack was about to reply when suddenly, a blinding flash of light exploded, causing them all to turn away and shield their eyes. That was followed by a hard wind that blew Clu away. Carey let go of Fi to try to run after his little brother, but the wind was too strong and pushed him back. Suddenly, they heard a low rumbling, followed by an explosion that rocked the building and knocked them all down. Carey threw himself over Fi, shielding her from the falling debris with his body. 

Meanwhile Clu had gotten blown into a room. He felt as if hands had pushed him in. Weird, he thought. That was his last thought before being knocked out by an invisible force. 

Carey saw his brother getting blown into the room and as soon as the building stopped shaking, he ran to the room, followed by Fi. When they got there, they were horrified at what they found. 


	3. Part 3

Part 3

Carey and Fi burst into the room. They found Clu on the floor, partly buried by debris. They got it off him and found that he didn't even seem hurt. No bruises, no blood, nothing. He just looked like he was sleeping. Carey knelt down next to him, and realized he wasn't breathing. He checked for a pulse, but there was none. And there was nothing he could do about it. This realization made him let out a scream of agony that terrified Fi to the core. It also brought Jack and Annie running in, both very scared and very worried. Fi gently put her arm around Carey as he held on to Clu's lifeless body, scared but trying to help. She'd never seen Carey so devastated before, and that really, really scared her. 

"What's wr…" Jack started to ask, his voice trailing off as he saw Clu lying there, Carey holding him. "Oh no" he said, as he began to cry. His best friend was dead. All because of some stupid idea. Annie saw this and hugged him, as she started to sob too. 

"He's…he's…he's…dead" Carey stuttered, horrified and extremely sad, but trying no to cry. He had already let the younger kids down enough and he didn't want them to see him cry. Fi saw him struggling, through her own teary eyes, and hugged him. "Jack, Annie, go get my mom and dad. And Molly. If you can't find them, come back. Quick." Carey said. 

"Sure", Annie and Jack sobbed out, before running off. 

As soon as they were gone, Carey felt himself starting to break down, but stopped before he cried. He turned his attention back to Fi, hugging her and trying to comfort her, but it didn't work. He just wasn't into it. Everything had gone so horribly wrong. He'd failed his baby brother. And everyone else, including himself. Again. Because of him, his baby brother was dead. _*Another brother gone; all because of me. Cause I was to stupid to protect them*_

Suddenly, Clu started to glow. This kept on for a while. "What the…" Fi looked up from crying on Carey's chest at the sound of his voice, just in time to see Clu start becoming little rainbow-colored orbs, slowly disappearing.

"Oh my God" Fi said, sobbing once more. Again, Carey hugged her tightly as he looked at the spot where his brother had been, for once not thinking about how good she felt in his arms. Annie and Jack came back soon after, but without the parents. They found the other two just sitting there, looking at the spot where Clu no longer was. 

"What happened to Clu? Where'd he go?" Jack asked, thinking that maybe Clu wasn't dead and it was just a joke. 

"Jack, Clu disappeared. His body turned into little orbs and disappeared." Fi answered. Carey just kept looking at that place in shock. 

"You're kidding Fi! That's not possible! That's just not possible.." Jack said, before breaking down and crying once more. 

"That's what happened, I swear", Fi sobbed out, "We've gotta go tell the parents. Come on Carey." She slowly helped him up. He still hadn't said a word. He leaned on Fi as they walked back to the bus, short one member. 

Meanwhile, a semi transparent image of a woman carrying a man could be seen in the distance. Looking closer, it was actually a pixie-like girl carrying Clu, watching the others walk away. 


	4. Part 4

Part 4 

They got back on the bus, all silent except for the sound of sobbing. Fi helped Carey onto the bus, and into the living room. There she slowly sat him down on the couch and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He was still silent. _*This can't be good*_, she thought. Meanwhile, Carey was thinking how he was supposed to tell his parents that Clu was dead. _*How can I tell them that their youngest son is dead because I failed my duties as a big brother?*_ Just then, the parents came back, happy and laughing, until they saw the looks on the kids faces, and Carey sitting silently on the couch next to a sobbing Fi. Molly, Irene, and Ned looked around, seeing all the other kids crying, except Carey. But there was something missing. Where was Clu? 

Molly walked over to Fiona and sat next to her. 

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked while pulling Fi into a hug. "Clu…" Fi answered, but couldn't finish the sentence. She didn't want it to be true. She hugged her mom while still holding on to Carey with one arm. 

Meanwhile, Carey was thinking about Clu. _*Why did he die? Why him? Why not me?*_ These thoughts were flying through his head. As much as he wanted it all to be a dream, he knew he had to tell his parents, even if it meant admitting that it was he believed it was his fault. So he continued where Fi had left off. "Mom, Dad, something happened to Clu" he slowly began. Ned put his arm around Irene, who was already crying. "We went to check out this building and there was an explosion. Clu was separated from us, and he…he… died. And then disappeared." Carey managed to get this out slowly, bit by bit, trying his hardest not to cry. As soon as he was done, his parents came over and wrapped him in a hug, but he pulled away from them. He turned and ran to the room he shared with Jack and Clu. *_Used to share with Clu_*, he corrected himself bitterly. 

Both his parents cried, knowing they had to leave Carey alone for a while. They both got out of the bus, followed by Molly. Annie and Jack, both sat on the couch, comforting each other and crying.

Fi ran after Carey. It wasn't right that he hadn't cried. She had seen how much the day's events had disturbed him, and she knew there was a reason why he'd been so shocked. It was almost as if it had happened before. She found him standing by the door, unable to go into the room. "Carey, we've gotta talk". 

He looked at her and said, "I can't go in there, Fi. It hurts too much." 

She saw the pain in his eyes and led him to her room. He sat on the bed, staring off into space. She sat next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. Then suddenly, he remembered something. Something that had seemed familiar about the way Clu disappeared. Then he realized what it was. His older brother had disappeared the same way 15 years ago. That realization that the same thing had taken both his brothers made him angry. But then he thought of them and finally broke down. A tear rolled down his cheek. Fi noticed and pulled him into a hug, as he started sobbing hard. She rocked Carey, trying to soothe him, but couldn't. She was really scared. She could feel his body shaking hard with each sob, and she cried with him. For a while, the only sound that registered was that of Carey's harsh sobs, but then she noticed he was muttering something. 

"Not again, not again, not again…" Carey mumbled in between sobs into Fi's embrace, thinking she wasn't listening. 

Fi heard Carey mumbling and didn't understand exactly what he meant by it. When had it happened before? She was about to ask him, but looked at his devastated face and felt his body shake hard yet again, and decided against it. He looks so fragile, she thought. It scared her. He was always so strong and protective of her and the others. He always comforted them when something happened. Now the roles were reversed. She decided to ask him what he had meant later, once he was calmer. She hugged him tighter, trying to soothe him by rocking him and rubbing his back. Realizing it wasn't working she started singing softly. His sobs became less violent and his body stopped shaking as much. He eventually fell asleep in Fi's arms. She realized this and fell asleep also. 

[Meanwhile] 

Clu woke up lying in a bed in a room that seemed to have an independent glow. He slowly sat up to look at his surroundings and realized he wasn't alone. A small, pixie-like girl around his age was sitting in a chair, quietly looking at him. *Weird*, he thought. *Where's the building? Where are Carey, Fi, Jack, and Annie?* 

"Glad to see you're finally awake", the girl said. "Come with me." 

"Go where?" he asked, even more confused than usual. 

"I'm under orders to take you straight to our ruler" she answered, pulling him up from the bed. " 

"What ruler? Where am I? Who are you" Clu babbled as the pixie dragged him down a long hallway. 

"I'm Leilani. Now be quiet. We're almost there", she said. *The boy is cute, but so talkative it becomes annoying*, the pixie thought. 

Leilani pulled him into a large room that had a soft golden glow. It was filled with pixies that surrounded a throne-like chair that stood on a platform. Sitting on the chair was a young man in his early twenties who looked oddly familiar. He had sandy brown almost blonde hair, cut pretty short, and vivid green eyes. He seemed to be about 6 ft tall maybe taller, but it was hard to tell because he was sitting down. Come to think of it, he sort of looked like a cross between Clu and Carey. Clu couldn't shake the feeling that he somehow knew this man. 

"Who are you?" Clu asked him. 

"Don't you notice anything familiar about me?" the man replied. Clu shook his head no. "Well, I'm your oldest brother" 


	5. Part 5

**Chapter 5 **

"Or at least I used to be" the young man finished. 

"Clark" Clu whispered in amazement. "But you died 15 years ago. How are you here? You're supposed to be dead. And where is here?" 

"Technically, I am dead" 

"But that would mean that…I'm dead too" Clu said, shock filling his voice as the truth hit him. "But why now?" 

Clark's heart broke as he saw the look on his baby brother's face. It broke even further when he thought about the fact that he was the cause of his brother's pain. He had been told to bring him here and he hadn't been able to break the orders. He had always said how much he wanted to be with his brothers again, but this wasn't the way he had wanted it to happen. Not so soon. Not while they were still so young. He'd known it would hurt Clu to bring him here ever since he was told to do it, but he hadn't had a choice. *_Plus, how am I supposed to tell Clu that the reason he's here is to hurt Carey*_ he thought. He could hardly even believe he'd agreed to it in the first place…. 

Clu still couldn't believe what had happened. Or how it had happened. He felt exactly the same as he had when he was alive. If he didn't know better, he'd say he was still alive. But he did know better. He knew he was dead, but couldn't remember much about how it happened. The last thing he remembered was being hit by something sorta invisible that resembled a pixie, Leilani. _*I was knocked out by a pixie!*_ Then he ended up here. Tears started welling up in his eyes as he thought of everyone he'd left behind. He thought how much this would hurt Carey, his parents, Fi, jack, Molly, and even Annie. He'd miss them all so much, especially Fi and Carey. He'd never be able to see them, or talk to them, or just be with them for such a longtime… He felt a tear run down his cheek. 

Clark got up from his throne chair and walked to his baby brother's side as soon as he saw the first tear fall. He pulled him into a tight hug, something he hadn't done in so long. Clu broke down and sobbed heavily into his oldest brother's shoulder. Clark tried his best to comfort him, knowing all the while that he had caused Clu's pain. Eventually Clu's sobs subsided and he was able to talk. "What is this place?" he asked Clark. 

"Um… this is a sort of limbo I guess. Few people ever come here, only when they have a special reason to have been brought here. Your body is dead, but your soul is still not totally gone from it. I've only seen about 10 other people in the time I've been here. Their souls eventually move on, but I'm here to stay, I guess." 

It took a while for everything Clark had said to sink in, but once it did, Clu asked him a question that he didn't know how to answer without making things worse. "Why an I here then? I'm not special. I've got no mission. And why are you here? And how did you really die?" 

Clark took a deep breath and started answering the only question he could… 

[Fi's room, about 9 pm] 

Fi stirred and woke up. She looked at Carey, who was still asleep with his head on her shoulder. But somehow, even though he was asleep, he was still crying. Tears were still flowing from his closed eyes, but not as heavily as they had before. She brushed the tears away and softly kissed his forehead. _*He looks so sweet and innocent, so fragile_* she thought. She stayed where she was for a while and then decided to get up. She started moving Carey gently so she could get her arm out, careful not to wake him. At that moment Carey stirred a bit and slowly opened his eyes to see Fi leaving. 

"Don't let go" he pleaded, his miserable voice low and raspy. 

She looked into those sad eyes, set in an even sadder, innocent face, and couldn't help but comply. _*He looks so adorable*_ she thought, but instantly chased that thought away. It wasn't the right time for thoughts like that, even though she had gotten used to those thoughts ever since she'd come back on the tour. She wrapped her arms around him and let him lean into her, resting his head on her shoulder. He was still crying a bit, but fortunately not as much as before. She just held him like that until his sobs subsided and he had calmed down. 

Carey was still in shock. It wasn't fair that Clu had died. _*Why not me_* he thought _*Why Clu and not me?*_ The only thing that helped ease the pain and guilt any was knowing that Fi was still there, holding him. That he hadn't lost her too. He loved her so much, and now she was all he had left. Now, he'd have to look after her more than ever to make sure she wouldn't go like Clu and leave him all alone. Not only cause Fi had become his best friend, but also because he had slowly fallen totally in love with her. But he could never tell her, not without exposing himself to more pain, heartache, and embarrassment. Not without risking losing her friendship… 

"Carey?" He was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of Fi's voice. He shifted slightly and turned his head to look at her, letting her know she had his attention. She gathered her courage and asked him something, aware of the risk of making him break down again. 

"Why were you saying not again before? Has it happened before?" Carey was surprised she'd even heard him, but decided to tell her anyway. She was the only person who would take him seriously and believe his story, not discard it as his imagination like his parents had done. 

"Well…that's how Clark died too" Carey managed to say. Fi remembered that Clu and Carey had once had an older brother who had died soon after she was born. She had never actually met Clark, but she'd heard people mention him and had seen pictures of him. 

"How exactly did he die?" she asked, hoping the question wouldn't upset Carey. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm down and started telling her the story… 

~~~ [Flashback begins. Both Carey and Clark are experiencing it and telling it] ~~~ 

"Come on Clark, gimme the ball!" 4-year-old Carey whined. 

"You're gonna have to catch me first!" 8-year-old Clark shouted as he started running around the back yard. The two older boys were playing outside while their parents were inside with Clu, their 2-year-old baby brother. Clark was supposed to be watching Carey, making sure he didn't get in trouble, but they usually ended up watching out for each other. Carey was only four, but he already felt it was his duty to watch out for both his brothers. 

Carey chased Clark into the front yard, but he was still far behind his older brother. They continued the chase until Clark tripped, making the ball fly out of his hands. It rolled onto the sidewalk and then into the very edge of the street. Carey saw his chance and ran towards it. He didn't notice an oncoming car that was swerving wildly on the street. 

The car kept getting closer and closer, still swerving wildly, sometimes onto the sidewalks. Clark noticed the car coming closer to his little brother. "Carey watch out!" he shouted as loud as he could, running towards his brother. Carey turned and saw the car just as Clark pushed him out of the way. He saw the car go past, hitting neither him nor Clark. He looked around and saw Clark lying on the street. As far as Carey could understand, his brother was simply sleeping in the street. He walked over and shook Clark, trying to wake him up cause he knew it wasn't smart to sleep in the street. 

Clark felt himself get hit by something, but he knew it wasn't the car cause it passed right by him. He fell to the ground and felt everything go black for a while. Then he woke up and stood up, but he realized that he could still see himself lying there and Carey crying. _*What's going on?*_ he thought as he viewed the scene before him. 

"Clark, come on, wake up" Carey said as he shook his brother. He suddenly realized that Clark wasn't gonna wake up and he yelled for his parents to come out of the house. He started crying thinking that whatever was wrong with Clark was his fault. He hugged his brother fiercely, and saw him suddenly start glowing. Then he saw Clark turn into a bunch of little rainbow-colored bubbles that then disappeared. He then saw his parents come running out of the house. 

They saw him crying and asked him what had happened and where Clark was. Carey explained exactly what had happened, but his parents said that it wasn't possible. That he was just seeing things. Ned and Irene pulled him into a hug and held him while a neighbor told them a more believable version of how their oldest son had died. Carey just cried, wondering why no one believed the truth, and blaming himself totally for what had happened to his brother. _*He's dead cause I ran in front of that car. I helped kill him.*_ he thought, mentally beating himself up. He had killed his brother and would never see him again. He kept crying until he eventually fell asleep in his dad's arms. 

Clark suddenly felt as if he was being broken into pieces, but it didn't hurt. He saw himself start glowing and then turn into a bunch of bubbles. He then felt everything go out of focus for a while. Then it went back to normal. He was in a room full of short girls who were talking to him excitedly. They told him he was to be their ruler. He believed them and asked for no further explanation for the moment. 

~~~ [End of flashback] ~~~ 

[Back in Fi's room] 

"That's pretty much what happened. And today…it happened again." He felt like crying but no more tears would come.. 

"Oh Carey…" Fi said. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one. "Poor you, having to live through that twice…" He looked so sad and so worn out. She pulled Carey into a tight hug and held him like that for a while. 

Just then the door opened and Annie walked into the room, followed by Jack. 

"Hey…" Annie started saying, but stopped. Fi noticed her and pulled away from Carey a bit. Annie looked really tired and that made Fi look at her watch. It was almost 11pm. That made her realize that Annie had probably come in here to sleep. 

Carey realized he would probably have to go back to his room. "But I can't go in there" he whispered to Fi. Fi thought about what he had said and came up with a solution. But it would only work if Annie agreed. Meanwhile, Annie had realized what the problem was, and was thinking the same as Fi was. 

"Annie, would it be ok with you if Carey takes your bed and you sleep in the boys' room?" Fi asked. Annie instantly agreed, but she saw that Jack was about to object. She gave him a look that made him shut up. The hand she clamped over his mouth helped too. Carey looked gratefully at both Fi and Annie. 

They all went to change. Then they all retreated to their rooms and went to bed. Fi hugged Carey goodnight one last time before she went to her own bed and they both fell asleep, worn out by the day's events. 


	6. Part 6

**Chapter 6 **

~~~ "You're gonna have to catch me!" Clark giggled as he started running, followed by 4-year-old Carey. Carey (19-year-old) watched the same scene he had told Fi earlier unfold before his eyes, as it had so many times before. He knew what was going to happen next, but could do nothing to stop it. He tried every time he had this nightmare, but the outcome was always the same. Clark always died in Carey's arms, making him feel even more helpless as tears welled up in his eyes. He usually woke up around this time, but not tonight. 

The scene changed quickly into what had happened earlier that day. Carey relived the day's horrible events, but somehow the pain was magnified by being able to see himself there. In the nightmare, he kept seeing ways that could have prevented Clu from dying, and Carey mentally beat himself up for not seeing them before. The whole horrible scene played out before him up until Clu's death, dragging Carey further into depression. He felt the tears start to fall down his cheeks and tried to wake up from this horrible nightmare. 

But no such thing happened. The scene changed once more, but this time into one Carey didn't recognize. He was living the scene and watching it happen at the same time. He could see a pretty busy street in what he guessed was the town they were in. He saw two people walking down the street that he recognized as Fi and himself He walked closer to them, moving until he was almost beside them. He couldn't really make out what they were talking about cause they were whispering, but he didn't really care. They looked pretty happy, Fi's face betraying that they were on some kind of mission. The other Carey put his arm around Fi's shoulders and they kept on walking happily, and he could actually feel it. Carey was thinking that maybe this part of the dream was supposed to be happy and make up for the others. As soon as the thought passed through his mind, he instantly regretted it. He saw a man emerge from the shadows and make his way to Fi and the other Carey, who didn't see him until it was too late. The man pulled a knife out of his jacket and tried to mug the other Carey. All three of them (the 2 Carey's and Fi) were scared but managed to keep a sort of clam. The man got fed up with waiting and lunged at the other Carey, slashing with the knife. Just as it was about to hit the other Carey, Fi jumped in front of him. The knife pierced Fi's chest, going deep into her. Even though it was a dream, that moment would be burned in Carey's mind forever. The emotions were real, not a dream. He started crying, holding Fi's body in his arms, holding the body of the girl he loved. She had died because of him, to keep him from dying, when it should have been the other way around. He just sat there in the street crying and holding on to her body, no longer able to see through his tear-filled eyes. 

The scene changed for the last time. Carey heard a male voice speaking to him, but his vision was so blurred by tears that he couldn't see the source of the voice. "Carey, you've got to protect Fi or they'll take her too", Clarks voice said. Carey wiped his eyes a bit and saw a young man that looked a lot like him standing there. He recognized him as the grown-up version of Clark. 

"Clark?" Carey said weakly. His brother nodded. "But how…" 

"There's no time to explain. It's hard enough for me to get here and I don't have much time before I'm pulled back into their control. All I can say is that you've got to protect both Fi and yourself if you don't want the previous scene to become a reality. They want you Carey…" he was suddenly interrupted as his face twisted into an evil version. He began to verbally harass Carey, telling him that his and Clu's death was Carey's fault. Carey felt as if his heart had been torn out and cut up. Fresh tears fell, and he saw his brother's face change back to normal. "Sorry for that bro. I would never hurt you. They were controlling me. I've gotta go now. Protect her Carey. For her good and your own. Clu's here with me. He's safe. I love you little bro…" Clark's voice faded away. 

Carey was left speechless at what had just happened. The whole nightmare flashed before his eyes as he everything faded out. ~~~~ 

"Carey!" Fi said as she shook him awake. She'd been woken up by Carey's screams. She'd heard him scream out her name, along with Clark's and Clu's. She'd gotten out of her bed and seen him crying in his sleep once again, his body shaking as violently as it had earlier that night. "Carey" she said as she saw him stir and open his eyes. She instantly wrapped him up in a hug, comforting him until h is sobs subsided slowly. 

"Carey what happened? " she asked him once he had stopped crying. "Just a nightmare", he answered, his voice wavering slightly. 

"It wasn't just a nightmare Carey! You were screaming! And you were crying and shaking so hard…" she said. 

"Fi, it's just really hard to explain. It was just too painful…" Carey answered. "Try to explain. It'll make you feel better" she told him softly. 

"Fi, I….I had to relive what happened today. And everything that happened during Clark's death. I had to watch my brothers die again and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It felt so real and it hurt so much. I've had dreams about this before, but they never felt this real" he confessed. "And I also saw something else, something that hasn't happened yet." He proceeded to tell her about seeing her die in his arms too, as he choked back fresh tears that were trying to come. He told her everything Clark had said also. 

Fi hugged him tighter as he burst into tears once again. _*There's definitely something weird going on here and it's hurting Carey_* she thought _*And I'm gonna find out exactly how to stop it*._ She looked at Carey and realized he was about to fall asleep again. She was pretty tired herself, so she laid him down and started to get up and go to her own bed. 

She heard Carey say something "Don't leave. Clark said I'm supposed to protect you and the only way I can do that is to have you close by. Please". He said all this in a very serious whisper. "Plus, I don't wanna be alone" he said in a lighter tone, giving her a small smile. She looked at him and decided to stay. Carey suddenly looked exactly like a little kid again. Maybe it was the smile, maybe it was his request, but the thought made her smile a bit too. Fi lay down next to him and he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. She softly kissed his forehead and said goodnight, but Carey had already fallen asleep. She laid awake for a while thinking about what Carey had said. _*I'll look it up first thing tomorrow morning. I've gotta find a way to bring Carey's brothers back.*_ These were her last thoughts before she pulled Carey a bit closer and drifted off to sleep. 

[The next morning] 

The sound of her bedroom door opening awoke Fi. She stirred a bit and opened her eyes, annoyed at being woken up so early. She focused her view on the door and found her mom standing there looking amused, worried, and confused at the same time. 

"Morning honey", she said. 

"Morning mom" Fi replied groggily. 

"Is there anything going on between you and Carey?" Molly asked, pointing at the position Fi and Carey were in. 

_ *I wish there was*_ Fi blushed a deep red and moved out of Carey's embrace before answering. "No mom. He just had a really rough night", she explained. 

Molly nodded and kissed her daughter's cheek before going back into the hall. She knew what Carey was going through right now. Clu's death hit everybody hard, but it had hit Carey the hardest. She understood why he might go to Fi for comfort. But still, there was something more between those two, even if they hadn't noticed it yet. Molly smiled at the thought as she walked away. 

Fi climbed out of bed and went to get her laptop, deciding that as long as she was awake she might as well try to find out how to get Clu back. She sat down next to Carey's sleeping form and logged on to the Internet to begin her search. 

Carey woke up to the sound of Fi typing. He sat up and stretched a bit. He decided to just watch Fi for a while, wondering how long it would be before she noticed he was awake. She looked so cute when she was determined to find something. After sitting for a while, he began thinking about Clu and the nightmare he had had. He could vaguely remember having a dream about something happening to Clu a while ago, but he hadn't thought much of it then. Maybe it was a sort of premonition. _*Why didn't I take it seriously? Why didn't I tell Fi about it?*_

"Aha! Found something!" Fi said happily, shaking Carey out of his thoughts. 

"What did you find?" Fi was startled to hear Carey's voice. 

"You're awake" she said. 

"Nah, I'm just talking in my sleep" he said sarcastically, as he smirked at Fi. 

"Not funny. You scared me! You should've told me you were up!" 

"So what exactly did you find?" he asked. 

"Well, I found out where Clu and Clark are" she said. He just looked at her, so she continued. "They're in this place called Batakas (I know it's a stupid name. It just sort of popped into my head). It's a sort of limbo that exists between the mortal world and the spirit world. The only people who ever get to go there are those that have some special purpose for being there. It's a place full of pixies, except for their ruler, who is a normal person. The ruler is controlled by the Assembly of Evil Forces. He does whatever they tell him to do, mainly cause they can get into his brain and force him to do their bidding. People are transported to Batakas by way of rainbow colored orbs or bubbles. These people usually move on to the spirit world as soon as they accomplish their mission, but some are allowed to return to Earth. This can only happen in the case of people who are there as bait for others. Once the Assembly gets what they want, they may choose to return the mortal to earth." Fi concluded. 

"Return to earth? So we can get Clark and Clu back?" Carey said, getting really excited. "So they're not fully dead?" Fi smiled at the look on his face. His smile was huge and his eyes sparkled; he looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. 

"Yeah, we might be able to get them back. But only if The Assembly gets what they want…." Fi trailed off. She saw some of the sparkle leave his eyes. She hated to be the to burst his bubble, but how could she lie to Carey now? 

"But how do we know what it is they want?" Carey asked. 

"Well, we don't…" Fi answered. 

Then Carey remembered something Clark had said last night. "Fi, I know what it is they want," Carey said solemnly. All traces of his previous expression were gone. His eyes looked hollow and empty, his face grim. 

"What?" Fi asked. 

"Me," he said. 


	7. Part 7

**Part 7 **

"No… no! They can't take you Carey!" Fi cried as tears filled her eyes. "They can't…" she trailed off, her voice cracking. 

Carey just looked at Fi, not knowing what to say. He knew he was hurting her, but he had to do this. He'd rather bring Clu back than be here himself. Clu's life was more important to Carey than his own.  
  


"Please Carey don't go… They've taken my dad from me and now Clu too… they can't take you too….don't leave me here alone" Fi said, her voice barely above a whisper. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, hugging her tightly. She cried onto his chest, hugging him while he was still there. _*It's not fair. Carey's gonna go and I'm gonna be left alone* _She knew him too well. She knew that he would do anything to get his brother back, but that didn't make the situation any better. 

_*How can I love her and yet hurt her so much at the same time? But she knows I have to do this…it's the only thing I can do to correct at least some of my mistakes.*_ He hugged her even tighter, pulling her closer to him, trying to soothe her. After a while her sobs faded away. 

"So, how are you supposed to get to Batakas and get Clu back?" Fi asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. 

"I don't know…" Carey answered, ignoring her tone of voice. 

[Batakas, an hour later] 

"So, what do I have to do now? I already brought you my baby brother." Clark asked the Assembly of Evil Forces (AEF). The good side of him, the one that wasn't controlled by the AEF, regretted having hurt as many people as he had, and he knew he would only hurt more. But his good side was very weak, and was forced to keep a low profile by the AEF. It could only come out during moments of strong human emotions like love and guilt. 

"You must bring us the girl, Fiona Phillips," the head of the AEF commanded. 

"But I thought we couldn't hurt her because of her father's and my brother Carey's protection", Clark asked, puzzled. 

"We can't kill her, but we can keep her hostage here for a little while, until we get your brother. After he's gone, she won't have that added protection and we can finish her off. Her father can't protect her anymore on his own. We've grown too strong for him." The AEF said, grinning evilly. 

"So… how do I get her here? It's gonna be very hard with Carey around" Clark said, trying to keep the fact that he had warned Carey a secret. 

"Through her computer of course. Tell her to go to a specific place at a specific time and then let it flow naturally from there. But don't make her suspicious, or it could ruin all our plans!" the AEF concluded, and sent Clark away to lure Fi into their trap. 

[Fi's room] 

Fi was searching for a way to get Clu back, while Carey strummed on his guitar. She didn't want him to go, but there was no way to change his mind now, so she might as well help him, no matter how much his decision annoyed her. This meant so much to him, and she knew that he would only be happy until he gave Clu back his life. The soft, slow music helped calm her down during her search. She hadn't turned up much more than what she had read to Carey earlier. She was about to give up when she heard the little computer voice announce that she had new mail. She clicked on the little envelope and saw that there was no return email address, just a name. Clark. The subject line was hard to make out except for one word, which resembled Batakas. 

"Carey, I think this is for you" she said. He moved around until he was sitting behind her and looking over her shoulder as she opened the email. 

**_I know you're looking for a way to get Clu back and I can help. Go to the alley behind 7th and Main, You'll find an old 3-story building there. Go up to the roof and wait there. I'll bring you here to Batakas and send Clu back to the mortal world. Be there at 2 this afternoon. Bring Fi. You shouldn't leave her alone at any time. _**

**_-Clark-_**

Carey and Fi finished reading the email at the same time, but their reactions to it were severely different. Carey smiled, a little wistfully maybe, but a smile anyway. He was finally gonna get his brother back, even if it meant replacing him over in Batakas. Fi's eyes filled with tears yet again as she thought that Carey was actually going to leave her. Carey wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest, hugging her tightly from behind. He understood what she was feeling, but there was nothing else to be done. He didn't want to leave her now, but he had to. 

Fi stopped crying after a while, amazed she still had tears after the many times she had cried in the last 2 days. It was noon now, she still had a couple more hours with Carey before he had to go forever. Then, an idea formed in her head _*What if I can find a way to bring Clu back and keep Carey here at the same time?*_ She kept it to herself, and sat back to ponder how to make her idea work. 

[Batakas, 1:30 p.m.] 

_*She fell for the trap!*_ the evil side of Clark thought gleefully. In a while the Assembly could get what they wanted and get off his back for all of eternity. Well, at least for the next few years. 

[Tour Bus, 1:45 p.m] 

"Come on Fi, lets go" Carey told her, guiding her out of the bus. "We've only got 15 minutes to get there." 

"Only?" Fi asked sadly. "Carey, I…" she trailed off, unable to complete the thought. She still hadn't found a way for Carey not to go, and in 15 minutes it would be too late. She just let Carey lead her to where they were supposed to go, remaining quiet for most of the way. 

As they were nearing the building, a memory of the dream hit Carey. The street he had been walking along looked remarkably like the one near the alley they were heading to. "Maybe we should take another way" he said, as he turned around and looked for another way to get to the alley. "I've got a bad feeling about this street." Fi silently complied with what he said and followed him as he put his arm around her shoulders. A few minutes later they got to the building. They slowly climbed the stairs to the roof and waited. It was still 1:55. _*Five minutes to convince him to stay*_ Fi thought. _*Might as well give it a try.*_

"Carey, are you sure you have to do this?" Fi asked him. 

"Yeah. I've gotta give Clu back his life," Carey was slightly surprised. He thought she understood why he had to do this. 

"But there's gotta be another way! What if we wait a while until something else comes up…" she said. 

"Clark said this was the only way! I thought you understood that!" he said, now slightly annoyed. 

"This can't be the only way! It seems too easy, almost like a trap…" she said. 

"Why the hell do you have to question everything! Don't you get that I have to do this? That I want to do this?" he was yelling now. For some reason, what she'd said had triggered anger that had been pent up for some time. 

"I know you have to, but I don't want you to! Don't you get that I love you? I've lost too many people to have to lose you too now!" Carey's outburst had surprised Fi and she retaliated by screaming back at him. He was usually really laid-back and relaxed, so she'd hardly ever heard him shout like that. It was the first time those shouts were aimed at her. She'd finally told him what she's been keeping for so long, but she wasn't sure he'd heard her. *_But I don't care. I got it off my chest even if he didn't hear me* _

"Damn it Fi! I love you too, but I have to do this! Clu was too young to die and I'll replace him there if I can. The sooner the better!" he shouted, turning his back to her. 

"Oh and you're not too young?" she responded, her tone almost acid. "You can't leave!" she said, grabbing his arm as he turned. 

"Fine, if you don't support me, then leave! Just go!" he yelled, extremely angry and somewhat betrayed. He turned around violently to face her, the sudden movement knocking her over. It shouldn't have knocked her over, but she was caught off guard. She flew over the edge of the building, barely holding on to the edge. 

"Help!" she screamed, as Carey grabbed her arm. 

"Fi! Calm down a bit. I can't hold on if you keep moving around so much" he said in a soothing tone. She was obviously panicked. He could see it in her eyes and was instantly sorry about everything he's said. "I'm gonna pull you up now. It'll be fine" He started pulling her up slowly. 

"Carey, please don't let go" she pleaded. 

"I won't. I promise" he said, a slight smile on his worried face. 

She smiled back, slightly soothed by the gesture. Then she felt something strange in the air near her. It was like there was something there. She started moving a bit, but it was too much for Carey. His grip on her arm loosened slightly, dropping Fi a couple of inches. She screamed and moved around even more. "Fi stop moving! I can't hold on much longer!" he said, his voice slightly panicked now. He'd realized that he might lose her too, and the thought terrified him. He tightened his grip and kept pulling her up, but before he was done, he felt something prying Fi's fingers loose. "Fi, what's going on??!!" He asked now really alarmed and worried. 

Fi felt her fingers slipping from Carey's hand. "Carey!!! Don't let go. Please!!!" she was crying now, panic having long since taken over her mind. 

"Fi! Hold on a while longer!!" he tightened his grip on her hand, only to feel it loosed once more. This time, he could do nothing to get a grip on her hand again. The invisible presence was way too strong for him. He felt something pry his fingers loose too and then Fi was hardly holding on. And then she wasn't holding on any longer. 

"CAREY!!!!!" 

"FIONA!!!!!" 

They both gave a final scream of terror and agony as Fi fell to the ground below. 


	8. Part 8

**Chapter 8 **

****

Carey tried to turn away before he saw her hit the ground, but couldn't. It all happened too fast for him to turn away. The whole scene was something he'd never forget. Or forgive himself for. He remained frozen, lying where he had been before, looking down at Fi's body, his vision already blurry. He saw her disappear just as Clu had the day before. 

"She's gone. They took her too…" Carey said weakly to himself. That was the last straw. He broke down and cried harder than ever before. Each hard sob made his body shake so hard that it was actually hurting him. He just lay up there on the roof, crying, his teary gaze still fixed on the spot where Fi had been. After about half an hour, he made a decision. He slowly stood up, his vision still blurry from the tears that kept falling from his red eyes. 

_I never thought I'd die alone _

_I laughed the loudest, who'd have known? _

_I traced the cord back to the wall _

_No wonder it was never plugged in at all _

_I took my time, I hurried up _

_The choice was mine, I didn't think enough _

_I'm too depressed to go on, you'll be sorry when I'm gone _

_I never conquered, rarely came _

_16 just held such better days _

Days when I still felt alive 

_We couldn't wait to get outside _

_The world was watching _

_Hate to try _

_The tour was over we'd survived _

_I couldn't wait till I got home _

_To pass the time in my room alone _

_I never thought I'd die alone _

_Another six months, I'll be unknown _

_Give all my things to all my friends _

_You'll never step foot in my room again _

_You'll close it off, board it up _

_Remember the time that I spilled the cup _

_Of apple juice in the hall _

_Please tell mom this is not her fault _

_I never conquered, rarely came _

_16 just held such better days _

_Days when I still felt alive _

_We couldn't wait to get outside _

_The world was watching _

_Hate to try _

_The tour was over we'd survived I couldn't wait till I got home _

_To pass the time in my room alone _

He half-heard the song playing not far from where he was. It was very faint, but it could still be heard. It seemed to fit his current situation so well. He failed to hear the very last verse of the song as he became totally immersed into what he was about to do. He walked closer to the edge of the roof, looking down at the ground, contemplating what he was about to do. _*The 3 people I love the most have been taken from me. There's nothing left to live for. I'd rather be dead and be with them than be alive alone with my guilt.*_ He walked even closer to the edge, now the tips of his shoes were no longer on solid ground. He raised his leg to take the final step when he heard a familiar voice. 

"Carey don't!!!" Clark yelled. Carey put his leg back down but didn't even turn around. "Carey! Don't do this!!" he shouted again, walking over to his younger brother. Carey turned his head a little, but he refused to look at his brother. It had finally hit him that Clark was the ruler of Batakas. _*Clark caused me all my pain. He took his own baby brother's life and he didn't even seem to regret it!*_ Clark managed to grab on to Carey's arm, pulling him from the edge. "Please don't do this" he pleaded. 

Carey looked straight into his brother's flashing green eyes, anger flaring up in his own eyes. "Why the hell shouldn't I? There's nothing left for me here. Not after you took everything from me. I might as well just get it over with and kill myself." Clark was surprised at the anger in Carey's voice. This wasn't Carey. He would have never said anything so negative, so depressing. 

"You can't jump bro. Please. You're too young still" Clark attempted to convince his brother. He instantly regretted it. 

"Too young!??!!! Damn it you were younger than I am when you died! Clu and Fi were both too young to die also, but that didn't stop you from taking them!" he yelled pulling away from Clark's grip. "You set a trap for Fi! You said that I was the one the Assembly wanted! You told us to come here, that you'd give me Clu back! And instead you betray my trust and you take Fi instead! This is the consequence of your actions!! Now you have no right to stop me!!" Carey walked back to the edge and stepped over the edge, fully prepared for the end that he knew had to come soon. 

But suddenly he stopped falling. He looked up to see Clark holding on to his arm, his grip so tight it was almost painful. Clark was crying openly, tears streaming form his eyes as he tried to pull Carey up. "Damn you, let me go!!!" Carey shouted, thrashing and squirming to make Clark loose his grip. 

"I can't let you go! Don't you understand that if you die, Clu will be sent back but Fi will be killed anyway? Without you there's no one to protect her from the Assembly!" Clark explained as rationally as he could while holding on to his brother. 

"I don't believe you!! Fi said that her dad was protecting her! Not me! Now LET ME GO!" he screamed. 

"Yeah, her dad is protecting her, but he can't do it alone! The Assembly has gotten too strong for him. He needs you too!" 

"Cut the crap and let me go!!" He shook and squirmed, even trying to bite, while Clark struggled to hold on. Suddenly Clark decided that he could no longer argue. He made sure one of his pixies, Leilani, was on the ground to catch Carey. Then he whispered 

"Sorry" and swung Carey towards the wall, knocking him out and letting go of his arm. Carey fell to the ground into Leilani´s arms, as all of them disappeared into a bunch of multicolored orbs. 

[Batakas, 40 minutes earlier] 

Fi woke up on a bed, surprised to find that she was alive and that she felt no pain at all. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in a small golden room that contained 2 beds. The other one was currently unoccupied but it had obviously been slept in the previous night. She slowly sat up and finally saw a girl and a guy standing at the doorway. Her eyes adjusted to the light enough so she could see whom the people were. The girl she didn't really recognize, but the guy was definitely familiar. 

It was Clu, as healthy as ever. She jumped up and raced towards him, and he wrapped her up in a big hug. "Clu…" she trailed off, so happy to see him. Then she realized that if she was with Clu, then she definitely had died. She was in Batakas. After a long 40 minutes of happy silence filled with smiles and an occasional word as Clu showed her around, Fi spoke. "Clu, where's Clark?" she asked him. 

"I'm not sure. I'll ask one of the pixies" he walked off for a second and then came back. "They said that he left about 10 minutes ago. Something about having to save someone." 

"Um Fi, How's Carey doing?" Clu asked, wanting to know exactly how hurt his brother was. 

"Not so good. Last night he was extremely torn up about losing you and now that I'm gone too I don't know what he's gonna do." Tears filled her eyes. She had contributed to Carey's pain. "I hope he doesn't do anything stupid…" she trailed off as a flash of light gave way to 3 figures. One was unconscious on the ground. 

It was Carey. They both ran to him as Fi realized what he had done, knowing that in part it was her fault. He'd jumped. He'd tried to kill himself. "Carey" she whispered, her weak voice heavy with sadness and concern for her friend. He didn't seem to be breathing or even have a pulse. As soon as they got to Carey's side, Clark picked him up and took him to the room Fi had woken up in. A third bed had appeared, and Clark set Carey down on it. Fi sat on the edge of the bed, and took Carey's hand in hers. She looked at him closely and noticed that he was hurt. There was a large, deep gash that was still bleeding on his forehead. His breathing was shallow and labored, as if it hurt him to take each breath. She cleaned up the blood a little using a small towel that was near the bed. Then she took his hand again and held it tightly, waiting for Carey to come around, not sure if he ever would… 


	9. Part 9

**Chapter 9 **

Fi sat holding Carey's hand in silence, occasionally squeezing it or leaning over to brush his hair out of his eyes. She kept hoping he'd wake up, but at the moment it didn't seem to be an option. In the time that had passed since his arrival he hadn't gotten any better, if anything, his breathing seemed even more labored than before. She couldn't help but wonder why he was hurt. _*Clu and I were fine when we were brought over here, not even a scratch. Why is Carey different? What did he do to deserve this?* _

"Fiona?" Clark's soft voice shook her out of her thoughts. It was so much like Carey's voice, so relaxing. She looked up, acknowledging his presence. He came over to her side, looking sadly at his younger brother. Fi saw the sad look on Clark's face and the tears gathering in his eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to want to comfort him. There was something else on his face, guilt, which prevented her from feeling sorry for him. _*He caused this, now let him deal with the consequences.*_ She said nothing to him, just kept on doing what she'd been doing before. Clu then came into the room and silently sat next to her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. He had noticed how much Fi and Carey cared about each other, even if they hadn't and he knew how much Fi was hurting. 

Clark tried talking to Fi, but she just ignored him. _*She's never been so cold to anybody before. Well, it serves me right for hurting my own family. I should've known something like this would happen, that they would never forgive me.*_ He looked at his brother once more, heard his labored breathing, and felt his heart break. Tears fell from his eyes as he sobbed silently. Carey was hurt, maybe even truly dying, and Clark wasn't allowed to do anything that would save him. He turned his gaze back to Clu and Fi, and was a bit surprised at the glares they were giving him. 

"Why did you hurt him?" Fi's question broke the silence. "How come you hurt him when you brought him here, but we were fine?" 

"Um… I had to knock him out," Clark said sheepishly, "he tried to jump and truly kill himself. I tried to stop him, but he kept moving around to make me let him die. I had to knock him out for his own safety. I guess I just swung him against the wall too hard." 

"You swung your brother against a wall to save him?! How could you save him, he's dead anyway?!" Fi almost screamed in exasperation. 

"He's not dead, none of you are. You're only half-dead, cause you could go back to the mortal world still. If he'd jumped he would have died totally, going straight into the spirit world" Clark explained, his voice weak and tired. 

"He's still dying Clark!" Clu added, "Look at him. Look at how beat up he is. Do you actually believe he's gonna survive that blow so easily? He's going to die if you don't do something!" Clu broke down as the tears started flowing again. 

Clark looked guilty and defeated. "I can try, but I don't think I can heal him enough" He concentrated on seeing his brother healthy again, but only succeeded in fading a few bruises and easing Carey's breathing a little, giving himself a headache. "I…. I can't do it… sorry", he sobbed out, extremely frustrated. He walked out of the room, Clu following him. 

Fi was left alone, holding Carey's hand tightly. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a moan followed by a cough. "Carey…" she half whispered. "You're ok!" 

"Yeah, pretty much." He said, still drowsy. 

She jumped and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "Oh Carey, we thought you were gonna die…" she breathed into his shoulder. 

"Yeah me too", he said with a slight moan. "Ow, Fi, you're choking me" 

"Sorry" she loosened her grip a bit. He started to get up but she pushed him back down. 

"Come on, I can walk, lemme up" Carey whined, straining against Fi. "I wanna go and see Clu" 

"There's something I have to tell you first" she said. She took a deep breath, gathering up her courage for what she was about to admit. "Carey, when I thought you were gonna leave me, I realized there were so many things I didn't wanna leave unsaid. I realized that maybe I would never get to tell you something I've kept hidden for so long. I love you Carey. I have ever since a couple of months before I left the tour. And I always thought I would have time to tell you, until today." 

Carey couldn't believe it. She's said everything he'd been wanting to say. She loved him back. He just sat there staring, his mouth agape. She stopped talking and looked deep into his eyes, as he did the same, and there she found her answer. She leaned down and softly brushed his lips with her own, giving him a sweet tender kiss. He responded quickly and kissed back, pulling her closer as the kiss got more passionate. When they finally broke apart, all he could do was stare. The feeling running through his body was like a primal fire, nothing he'd ever felt before. 

"I love you too, Fi" was all he could say. They sat in silence, just enjoying the moment until Carey insisted on seeing his little brother. She let him up but made him lean on her as she led him out to where his brothers were. He happily complied. Clu ran up to them the moment he saw Carey and hugged his brother. 

"Bro, I thought I'd never see you again." Carey sobbed as tears of joy ran down his face. "After what happened yesterday, I thought I'd lost you forever. " 

"Me too, Carey, me too," Clu said, also crying. 

"I love you little bro" 

"I love you too" Clu said, happy to be back with Carey, as he pulled out of the embrace. 

Then Carey saw Clark, whose eyes were read and puffy, his face tearstained. 

"Bro…" Clark started, trailing off at the look in Carey's eyes. 

"Don't call me that. This is all your fault. Don't pretend you even care about us" Carey spat out the words. 

"But Carey, there's something I have to tell you. Maybe it'll make up for all you've been through. Sit down, all of you." 

They sat down, Fi's arm once again around Carey, and his around her, and they all turned their attention to Clark. 

"Wait… before you say anything, I wanna know why you brought all of us here," Clu said. 

"Yeah, what do you want from us?" Fi added. 

"Ok, that's a reasonable request. I'm probably not supposed to say any of this, but I'm tired of doing everything I'm told." He took a breath before continuing "As Fi probably told you, I work for the Assembly of Evil Forces. They get into my head and make me do errands for them. Like bringing you here. You're all here because they needed you for a reason." 

"Wha…" Clu interrupted. Fi clamped a hand on his mouth and shushed him. 

"Clu, they needed you here as bait for Carey. The Assembly figured that by taking you, Carey would probably do something like what he did today." Clu's eyes widened at the same time as a scowl appeared on Carey's face. 

"They needed Fi here as bait also, because they realized that as long as Carey had Fi, he wouldn't do anything stupid. The email was just a trick." 

"But why couldn't they just take me directly?" Carey inquired skeptically. "It wasn't actually hard to do. Why all the complications?" 

Clark sighed. "They didn't want you here Carey. They wanted you truly dead." 

"Why?" Carey responded, awestruck. 

"Because they wanted Fi", Clark continued, "and they could only get her if you were dead. You see, even though you don't realize it, you're helping Rick protect Fi just by being alive. He couldn't do it alone. Once you were dead, the added protection would be gone, and they would be able to get rid of Fi once and for all." 

They all remained silent, not knowing what to say. They just scooted closer to each other, especially to Fi. 

"Carey, since you tried to bring yourself here willingly and I had to injure you to come her, I've been allowed to let you go back to earth" Clark said. 

"All of us?" Carey asked incredulously. 

"Unfortunately, only you and somebody else can go back. Only 2 people can go" Clark continued, dreading what he had to say. 

"I thought the assembly wanted me." Carey said, putting his other arm around his baby brother. 

"They were after Fi, but they needed to get rid of you first. Since they couldn't, I'll let you choose to take someone back." Clark explained, knowing his brother wouldn't like it. 

"But if I can only take one of them, that means…" Carey hugged both Fi and Clu tightly, pulling them closer. 

"You've gotta choose who will stay behind: your best friend or your little brother." 


	10. Part 10 - Conclusion

**Chapter 10 (Conclusion)**

_*You've gotta choose who'll stay behind…. You've gotta choose who'll stay behind…. You've gotta choose…*_ Clark's words kept echoing again and again in Carey's head. 

"How am I supposed to choose?" Carey said feeling defeated. "I…. I… I can't do this! You can't make me do this!" he stood up suddenly, anger written all over his face, hurt shining in his eyes. 

"I'm… sorry. I thought it would help" Clark looked down. *_I'm never gonna do anything right for him, am I? Everything I do he just twists it around, finds the dark side. I'm his brother and yet… I'm a stranger… the bad guy.* _

"How was that supposed to help?!" Carey's raised voice was dangerous, poisonous even. "What the hell made you think that making me choose between the 2 people I care about most was gonna help anything!? 

Clark had had enough. "You said that they were too young to die so I tried to give you a chance to go back! You're my little brother and I didn't want to see you hurting. I wanted to give you another chance. But yet, you mistook my actions for something evil, same as you've been doing all day long!" 

"Yeah you're a hell of a big brother! All you've ever caused us is pain and now you're trying to hide it by saying that you love us and that you just wanted to give us another chance! You don't care about Clu or me at all! You just think you do." Carey continued his attack on Clark. Meanwhile, Fi and Clu were speechless. This wasn't like Carey; he'd never done something like this before. 

"I…I do care," Clark's voice wavered as his eyes filled with tears. "How can you say that I don't? Every day I think about you and Clu, wish that I could be with you and do everything older brothers are supposed to do. I hated having to bring you here, but I was forced to. If it were up to me none of this would have happened. But it's not and it did. All I can do now is give you this opportunity. Just think about it for a while. Please." He turned and walked away, heading for his own room. He collapsed onto a heap on the floor before he broke down completely. 

Carey was left speechless. He plopped back down on the couch, leaning back. He realized Clu and Fi were staring at him. 

"What?" he asked. 

"Why did you blow up at him like that? He was just trying to help." Fi looked in his eyes as she talked to him. 

"I dunno why I did it." He admitted truthfully. "I guess there was just all this resentment inside me and he triggered something that made it all come out. I'm pretty sure I meant all I said, though." 

"Bro, that was harsh. You made him cry" Clu finally spoke up. 

"I know… but he did the same to me. We're even now, I guess." 

Carey reached around once again and put his arm around Fi's shoulders. He thought about what he had to do as he absentmindedly stroked her long hair. _*Clu's my baby brother and I love him so much, I can't just leave him here. But Fi… Fi's my best friend, the only one who understands me… and I love her more than anything, more than life itself. Heh heh heh, when did I become so poetic? Focus Carey, focus*_ Carey took a deep breath. _*How am I supposed to choose between them?*_ he thought. _*When did everything become so damn complicated?*_ He kept thinking for over an hour, just sitting holding Fi who was talking to Clu. Then suddenly he remembered something Clark had quoted him on earlier. _*Clark said that Fi and Clu were too young to die… then they should be the ones to go back.*_ He smiled, the problem finally solved. 

"Fi… Clu," he said. "I've made my choice." They looked at him in awe. Clark had come back by that time and was now looking expectantly at his brother. 

"You did? How… who?" Clark was the only one with the courage to ask. The other two were still completely shocked. 

"Both of them," Carey answered simply. 

"But only two of you can go back, not three" Clark said. 

"I never said three of us were going" 

"But that means…" Fi trailed off. 

"Yeah, I'm staying here, you're going back," he finished. It hadn't been as hard as he thought it would be. _*I can get used to staying here, I guess. It's only for the rest of eternity…*_

Clark's mouth curled up into a smile. _*I knew he was gonna do this. I'm surprised it took this long for him to figure it out.*_

"Carey… don't." Fi was crying once again. _*Great, I tell him I love him, then he deserts me.* _

"If that's your final choice, then say your goodbyes now. They have to leave soon." Clark told Carey. 

"Carey I don't want go back and leave you here" Fi choked out. 

"Me neither." Clu added. 

"Guys, you have to. You've got your whole lives to live and you're gonna go do that. For me." 

"Ok… we'll do it" they answered, still reluctant. 

"Guys, you're running out of time" Clark warned. 

Clu came over first and hugged his older brother. "I'm gonna miss you bro." 

"Me too. But we'll see each other again. That's a promise. I love you. Don't ever forget it. Bye" Carey hugged his brother tightly and placed a kiss on the top of his head. Clu's eyes misted up as he went over to Clark to say good-bye. 

"Fi…" Carey began but was cut off as she reached up and kissed him. 

"I don't agree with what you're doing, but you've got your reasons and I respect that. I love you Carey and I don't want to leave you behind yet. I… I'm gonna miss you so much. I don't know how I'm gonna get through life without you." She broke down crying, her face buried in his chest. He cried with her while simultaneously trying to soothe her, 

"Shhh… it'll be ok…" Carey whispered, not fully believing it himself. Fi's sobs got softer and she looked up at him. "Fi… you've gotta go now. I'm gonna miss you so much" he looked deeply into her eyes, their gazes locking as he pulled her even closer to him, enjoying the way she felt in his arms. Fi reached up once more and brushed her lips against his. The kiss got deeper and more passionate as the two realized this would be the last time they saw each other for (hopefully) a very long time. 

Clu was gaping yet looked amused as he watched at his brother and Fi, while Clark was just smirking, happy for both of them. "Fi… last chance, we gotta go now!" Clark said once more, interrupting the kiss. Fi whispered a last goodbye to Carey as she walked over to Clark and Clu. "Guys, this might feel a bit weird at first, but the feeling doesn't last very long. Bye" he said as the two teens started turning into rainbow colored orbs and disappearing. 

"They… they're truly gone aren't they?" Carey asked, a bit disbelieving. _*I'm alone with **him** now, probably forever_* he thought bitterly _*but I don't really regret it*._

"You did the right thing… exactly what I knew you'd do," Clark smiled warmly at his younger brother. "So… do you forgive me?" 

"Actually, I do. You came through. You really **were** trying to help." Carey returned the smile. "And I'm sorry for what I said before" 

"Don't worry about it. You were right to be angry." 

"So… we're gonna be together here for a while, right?" Carey asked, a hint of disappointment apparent in his voice. 

"Yeah, we are. It'll give us time to catch up on what's been happening for the last 15 years." Clark answered with a smile, glad to be able to talk peacefully to his brother. 

"Cool… let's do it then" Carey said, happy that Clark was back as he had always remembered him to be: caring and always willing to catch up on gossip. 

[Mortal Realm, 20 minutes later] 

"Ugh..." Fi groaned as she woke up. It was already getting dark. She looked around and saw Clu sleeping peacefully on the ground. *_Where are we?*_ she wondered. She took a closer look around and realized they were in the park across the street from where the bus was parked. 

"Clu, wake up. We've gotta get to the bus" she shook him awake. He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "five more minutes, Mom" and rolled over. She giggled and shook him harder until he opened his eyes. 

"What?" he snapped, obviously grumpy at being woken up. 

"We've gotta get back to the bus and explain some stuff to everybody." She answered patiently. "Like why you're back and Carey's gone." 

"Oh… that." 

"Damn it, he's really gone. And he's not coming back." She started whimpering and Clu wrapped her up in a hug. "I miss him" 

"Me too… me too. We'll see him again eventually… don't worry" Clu said softly. Fi sobbed for a while longer, until she regained her composure, focusing on what she had to do next. 

"Come on… let's go to the bus." She got up and helped Clu up as well. They walked back to the bus slowly in complete silence, just thinking about what to say to everybody when they got back on. They hesitated a bit before going into the bus. Everybody was waiting in the community area when Fi and Clu walked in. 

"Clu…" they all said in awe. Irene hugged Clu and burst into tears of joy at having her youngest son in her arms once again. Everybody else's reactions were pretty much the same. After everybody got over the initial shock, they realized who was missing. 

"Where's Carey?" Molly asked Fi. 

"Um… 

"Explain everything. Now" Irene commanded. 

Fi and Clu sat down next to Jack and Annie as they slowly explained everything exactly as it had happened, no matter how weird it sounded. By the time they were done it was fully dark outside… and in everyone's hearts. Their faces were all full of sorrow. Clu was back… but Carey was gone. 

Eventually, Fi excused herself and went to the room she shared with Annie. She turned on the radio and sat on her bed and broke down crying once more, thinking about Carey… the guy she loved. The guy who had sacrificed his own life for hers and Clu's. She listened to the song playing on the radio intently, identifying the lyrics with her feelings. 

_Hey  
If we can't find a way out of these problems  
Then maybe we don't need this  
Standing face to face  
Enemies at war we build defenses  
And secret hiding places  
  
I might need you to hold me tonight  
I might need you to say it's alright  
I might need you to make the first stand  
Because tonight I'm finding it hard to be your man  
  
Hey  
More than angry words I hate this silence  
It's getting so loud  
Well I want to scream  
But bitterness has silenced these emotions  
It's getting hard to breathe  
So tell me isn't happiness  
Worth more than a gold diamond ring?  
I'm willing to do anything  
To calm the storm in my heart  
I've never been the praying kind  
But lately I've been down upon my knees  
Not looking for a miracle  
Just a reason to believe  
  
I might need you to hold me tonight  
I might need you to say it's alright  
I might need you to make the first stand  
Because tonight I'm finding it hard to be your man  
  
Do you remember not long ago?  
When we used to live for the nighttime  
Cherish each moment  
Now we don't live we exist  
We just run through our lives  
So alone  
That's why you've got to hold me  
  
Hey  
If we can't find a way out of these problems  
Then maybe we don't need this  
Standing face to face  
Enemies at war we build defenses  
And secret hiding places  
  
I might need you to hold me tonight  
I might need you to say it's alright  
I might need you to make the first stand  
Because tonight I'm finding it hard to be your man _

*I wish you were here now. I can't make it without you* she thought to herself. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep, tears still rolling down her cheeks. 

[Batakas, meanwhile] 

Carey and Clark had been talking for hours. Carey had told Clark everything he could, seeming a bit wistful at the memories. *_Most of what he's saying is related to Fi and Clu* _he realized. 

"You really miss them, don't you?" Clark asked. 

"Yeah… I just can't imagine having to live without them for so long." Carey answered wistfully. 

Clark contemplated what he could do. Then he realized there was something that would make everything better. _*I can retire form my post, escape to the spirit world… and by doing that Carey can go back to the mortal world.*_

"Carey… what if you didn't have to?* 

"Huh? You're not gonna bring them back here." Carey was very confused. 

"I never said I was… I can send you back." Clark answered smiling. 

"Really?" Carey jumped up, excited. "But how? What about you? Can you come too?" He didn't want to leave his brother now that things were good between them. 

"Carey… I can't go back with you. I've been gone too long… I couldn't go back. It would be too strange, too much to get used to. Way too much explaining, too much awkwardness and speculation would come from it. I'm just gonna go to the spirit world, like I should have when I first died." Clark answered, feeling a twinge of pain as Carey's face fell. "But you can go back. Since I'm gonna retire, well run away really, whoever I brought who is still here can go back. It's a rule." 

"But what about the AEF?" Carey asked. 

"If I do it fast enough they won't notice. Which means we have to do this now. Plus, they can't hurt me in the spirit world." Clark got up too and hugged his brother. 

"You're leaving me again?" Carey's eyes watered as he realized he wouldn't see Clark for a long time. 

"Only for a while. I'll always be with you, and I'll try to visit when I can. I love you little bro… I really do. Send my love to Mom and Dad. Now let's do this." 

Carey disappeared into orbs at the same time that Clark slowly became translucent, and then totally gone. "Bye bro…" he said in a soft whisper. 

[Mortal World] 

Carey woke up right outside the bus. _*Home… I'm home.*_ He let out a small groan and tried to get up. He had a massive headache, and a dull pain in his ribs. He fell against the side of the bus, eliciting a thud. 

Fi woke up when she heard something hit the bus. She looked out her window and saw the top of a blondish head. _*Carey? It can't be him, can it?*_ She ran out of her room, waking everybody up as she went to open the bus door. 

"Carey!!!!!" she screamed happily as she ran and hugged him. She immediately gave him a long, deep kiss. Everybody else ran out of the bus and saw Carey standing there. Yeah, he looked a bit tired and a little bit beat up, but overall he looked ok. His parents quickly wrapped him in a hug, crying tears of joy. Everybody else followed suit. 

"Can we please go inside… I'm tired" Carey yawned for emphasis. He walked onto the bus leaning on Fi. He sat down on the couch, still holding Fi, as everyone asked him to explain. He did, including everything about Clark. When he was done, dawn was only an hour away. "I'm sleepy," his voice drowsy as he yawned again, barely able to keep his eyes open. 

"Ok… we should all get to bed and get a little sleep." Ned said. 

Carey got up and went to his room, where he changed quickly into his pajamas. He lay down on his bed, too tired to even think about everything that had happened. As he was about to fall asleep, Fi came into the room. He drowsily motioned for her to sit down next to him. 

"I'm so glad you're back. I missed you so much" she said to him as she sat down. 

"Me too" he mumbled back. She brushed a strand of hair out of his face, her hand lingering for a while on his cheek. He looked adorable like that. She saw he was struggling to stay awake, so she said goodnight and started to go towards the door. 

"Come back… stay here" Carey mumbled. She hesitated a bit, but then agreed and lay down next to him on the bed. He smiled and just wrapped his arms tightly around her as she snuggled against him. "I love you Fi" Carey murmured before falling asleep. 

"I love you too" she answered, her eyes closing. He kissed her forehead softly and they both drifted off into dreamland, glad that everything was finally over. 

Clark's stood outside the boy's room, smiling now that everyone was truly happy. He took one final look around the bus, gazing quietly at his family. Then he slowly disappeared with one final wave at his family on the bus. 


End file.
